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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23857639">A Bit of Harmless Flirting</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/silveradept/pseuds/silveradept'>silveradept</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Batman (1966), Green Hornet (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Britt Reid Is A Flirt, Casual dating, F/M, Identity Deduction</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 21:56:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,385</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23857639</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/silveradept/pseuds/silveradept</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After being sent in Commissioner Gordon's place, Barbara Gordon is introduced to Britt Reid, who takes a liking to her. As a cautious woman with an identity to protect, Barbara doesn't think Mr. Reid's interest is very serious, but she will enjoy the attention while it's on her.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Barbara Gordon/Britt Reid</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Wayback Exchange 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Bit of Harmless Flirting</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/VampirePaladin/gifts">VampirePaladin</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Bruce looked disappointed to see her for the briefest of moments.</p><p>"Good evening, Ms. Gordon," he said politely.</p><p>"Daddy sends his regards, Mr. Wayne," Barbara Gordon said, "but he's going to be working all night again, and so is Chief O'Hara. He told me to come, instead, because he felt a good dinner shouldn't go to waste."</p><p>"Of course. Commissioner Gordon called ahead to say he would be unable to make it, and that he was sending you in his stead. I was hoping that he would be here so that we could plan this year's Gotham Police versus Gotham Fire softball game, but there is still time, and you are, of course, more than welcome to sit in his stead."</p><p>Barbara smiled. Bruce Wayne, richer than any other citizen in Gotham City, probably wasn't accustomed to being canceled on in such a way, but one of the things that had helped make sure her father stayed Commissioner was that he put his work first. Even if he knew there would be a good dinner he was missing out on.</p><p>"Alfred has prepared a meal on the assumption that it would be Commissioner Gordon coming to dinner, but if you would like, I can have him make something else," Mr. Wayne said.</p><p>"What Alfred has prepared is fine," Barbara said. "I have many of my father's tastes in food, and Alfred always finds new ways of reinterpreting old standbys."</p><p>Bruce smiled and nodded, before offering Barbara an arm. "May I escort you to the dining room?"</p><p>"Ever the gentleman, Mr. Wayne, but I would prefer it if you would simply lead the way."</p><p>Bruce smiled and headed toward one of the many rooms in stately Wayne Manor. Even though she had occasionally been inside, she'd only seen a fraction of the rooms that must be available to Mr. Wayne and wondered both whether he needed so many rooms and what was behind each of the doors they passed on their way to the formal dining room.</p><p>There was one other gentleman sitting at the table, although he stood as soon as he realized that Mr. Wayne had brought a guest, and a woman at that, with him. The man was vaguely familiar, as if she had seen him before in a news program.</p><p>"Mr. Reid, may I introduce Ms. Barbara Gordon, one of Gotham City's finest research librarians." </p><p>There was a second man standing near the door, dressed as a butler in white, that she did not recognize. Had she not been training herself to notice all things in a room, whether they seemed important or not, she might not have seem him at all.</p><p>"Britt Reid. Good evening, Ms. Gordon," Mr. Reid said, offering his hand for Barbara to shake. After shaking her hand, both gentlemen waited until she had taken her seat at the table before sitting themselves. </p><p>After all three were settled, Mr. Reid leaned toward Barbara. "A research librarian?" he asked. "I don't suppose I could tempt you over to the Daily Sentinel with the promise of a better salary and more interesting topics, could I?"</p><p>The last piece clicked into place for Barbara. Britt Reid was the publisher of the Daily Sentinel, one of the local papers the library carried. It often made an interesting counterpoint to the Gotham City Times and tended to focus less on the various dealings of millionaires and socialites and more on the situations that were happening in some of the less rich neighborhoods of the greater Gotham City metropolitan area.</p><p>"I appreciate the offer, Mr. Reid, but I feel that my talents are best put to use in public service," Barbara said. "I also doubt that the questions that you would ask of me would be nearly as interesting as the ones the public of Gotham City have for me."</p><p>"That's an intriguing lede, Ms. Gordon," Mr. Reid replied. "You've piqued my curiosity: What are the citizens of Gotham City interested in?"</p><p>"Batman, for the most part," Barbara said. "They're usually interested in where he's been, whether there are any new names to have to watch out for, and I've seen a strong interest in whether or not Batgirl is associated with Batman and Robin, now that she's made herself known."</p><p>"I, for one, am glad that she has chosen to take the side of law and order," Bruce said. "Gotham City has more than enough criminals and those in need of mental assistance."</p><p>"It must make for better news stories than the mobsters and white-collar criminals that make the crime pages of the Daily Sentinel," Mr. Reid said. "But such talk is unfit for the presence of a lady." </p><p>Alfred arrived with dinner at that point, helping ensure the topic of crime and crimefighting stayed off the table while the food was on it. Instead, Mr. Wayne and Mr. Reid talked about the softball game and what an appropriate run of advertisements would be in the Daily Sentinel to promote the game and the charitable aspects of ticket-buying. Mr. Reid offered some suggestions, but also said that the best thing to do would be to call the advertising department at the Sentinel and talk with the layout editors for rates and runs before making any final decisions. </p><p>"I have one piece of business that's related to the game that's not about advertising and charitable contributions, Mr. Wayne," Mr. Reid said, after dinner and dessert. "In my official capacity as a newspaperman, as well, rather than as your friend. I've heard rumors that some of those criminal elements of Gotham City may be interested in the funds being raised for the game. Additionally, a source of mine suggested that putting all of those public safety personnel in the same place would be inviting criminals, both in and outside of Gotham City, to try and cause widespread damage by concentrating their efforts on the game. Or that other criminals, such as the Green Hornet, might attempt to establish a base of power in Gotham City while there is so much effort being concentrated on the softball game. As the principal donor to the charities and a staunch advocate for the Gotham City Police Department, do you have any comment?"</p><p>"I trust that Commissioner Gordon and Chief O'Hara will be able to handle any and all matters of public security for the game, as I trust them to handle such matters on any other day in Gotham City," Bruce replied evenly. "If you will excuse me, of course, I promised Dick that I would help him with his homework. Alfred will see you out." </p><p>"Would you like to get some coffee, Ms. Gordon?" Mr. Reid asked her as they rose to leave. "I would like to pick your brain a little more about working in the library and what resources are available."</p><p>"Mr. Reid, after what you did there, I'm not sure I want to be seen with a person with such a lack of tact." Barbara replied. The man behind him let a smile play over his lips briefly before resuming his serious exterior.</p><p>"It's that reporter's instinct," Mr. Reid said, trying to charm her with a disarming smile. "Bruce knew I would try to ask him something about this when he invited me. He was feeling particularly generous tonight."</p><p>"And how would you know that?"</p><p>"He said something more than 'No comment.' "</p><p>Barbara considered this for a moment. She didn't particularly know Mr. Wayne well, since Daddy was usually talking business or philanthropy or sports with him in one way or another on the few times where they did talk. Being a wealthy man apparently restricted the amount of topics someone could talk about with anyone else.</p><p>"Would you give me an opportunity to make up for my lack of tact, then, Ms. Gordon?" Mr. Reid asked. "My treat. Kato, would you be willing to drive?"</p><p>The man behind Mr. Reid stepped forward. "Of course," he said, bowing slightly.</p><p>"Kato is an interesting name," Barbara said. "You have the look of someone with Chinese ancestry, rather than Japanese, though."</p><p>Kato smiled a joyless smile. "My mother was particularly fond of…wisteria, I believe the plant is called here, and so she gave me that name when I was born."</p><p>"Oh, of course," Barbara said. "I'm sorry, that was rude of me," she apologized.</p><p>"Very interesting, though," Mr. Reid said, picking up the thread as Alfred took them to the door of stately Wayne Manor. "I would like to know when you spent enough time in Japan to understand the name's origin, though."</p><p>"Mr. Reid, do you generally enjoy poking into people's lives, or have you been a newspaperman for so long that it comes by instinct?" Barbara chided him.</p><p>Wisely, Mr. Reid said nothing at all in reply, only making sure she made it to her car safely. </p><p>"I have always wanted to try the ice cream at Andrés," Barbara said. "It's on Sixth Street, two blocks north of D Street. I think that will be a good start to your apology."</p>
<hr/><p>Later that night, Batgirl made her way toward the port of Gotham. One of the warehouses down by the docks was hosting a gathering of several of the less costumed criminals of Gotham City. They were just getting started on business discussions, and she was beginning to make her calculations as to whether or not she would need backup to apprehend all of them, when a man dressed in a green trenchcoat and mask, accompanied by a man in black clothes and a black mask entered the building. Compared to the flashy costumes and often over-the-top designs of the various rogues she was dealing with, the man in green's outfit and mask were considerably understated. It made a welcome change of pace, comparatively speaking, even though there was nothing about his behavior that was understated. He spoke to the assembled criminals as if he owned all of them already, and began to make demands that he would be part of their partnership, with most of the profit involved in their ventures going to him. Which may have worked in his usual turf, but the criminals of Gotham tended to shoot anyone unfamiliar first and then ask questions later.</p><p>The Green Hornet, if that was indeed who this was, appeared to have anticipated this possibility, retreating outside at the first showing of guns. He and the black-clad man with him moved to the other side of the warehouse, waiting until the gangsters had emptied their weapons before sneaking back inside. The crime bosses dispatched men to the outside to make sure of the Hornet's death, which made them an easy capture for Batgirl, since they were expecting to find corpses instead of a fully capable crimefighter in the darkness.</p><p>With a significant amount of the muscle dispatched and out of the way, the Green Hornet and his companion were able to handle themselves in the ensuing mêlée, until they were the only two left standing and conscious in the warehouse.</p><p>"That's not a very nice way of introducing yourself to prospective business partners," Batgirl said, as they made to exit the warehouse. The man in black (who did look like Kato under the mask he wore, she thought) moved to intercept her as a threat, before the Green Hornet (who had about the right height for Mr. Reid, even if most of his body was hidden by the trenchcoat he wore) stopped him from starting the fight.</p><p>"None of them seemed interested in doing business, so it's no great loss to me," he said. "You must be Batgirl."</p><p>"And you are…?"</p><p>"No one you would know. Since my business with these gentlemen is concluded, I'll be on my way."</p><p>"I should leave you here to be captured by the police as well, since you confessed to at least a few violations of the law while you were trying to get them to be your business partners."</p><p>"But you won't, because you witnessed no crime while I was here, since there was no successful transaction of illegality," the Hornet replied evenly.</p><p>"Attempted crimes are still chargeable," she said. </p><p>"Then, you'll let me go because I've done you a favor by making sure all of these criminals are still in one place for the police to find. Unless, of course," he said, brandishing his gun at her, "you would prefer to come along with us as a hostage."</p><p>"I have other plans for tonight," she said.</p><p>"Coincidentally, so do I," he said. "It won't do to keep a lady waiting, so if you'll excuse me, I really must insist you stand aside."</p><p>As much as she would have wanted to keep him here and tease him more, Batgirl knew that she couldn't beat both of them in a fight without additional help, so she reluctantly let them go past her and into their vehicle. She was hoping to follow them on her motorcycle soon afterward, but after a short drive, the man in black stopped their car and destroyed the tracker she'd placed on it. After that, she lost them in the streets of Gotham. Eventually, she returned to her apartment to get ready for her date with Mr. Reid.</p>
<hr/><p>Barbara was surprised to see Mr. Reid enter the library the next day. After a quick stop at the periodical station, where he picked up a copy of the Daily Sentinel and scanned it, he went directly to her desk.</p><p>"Ms. Gordon," he said, smiling, "A pleasure seeing you again." </p><p>"Good morning, Mr. Reid," she replied. The other librarian looked over to see who was at the desk, studying him for a moment before returning to her own work. </p><p>"I was hoping to avail myself of your research expertise," he continued. "The Daily Sentinel has been tracking and reporting on the activities of a known criminal called the Green Hornet."</p><p>"I have read some of the coverage in the Daily Sentinel about him," Barbara told him. "From what I have gathered, he would fit right in here in Gotham City with all of the other colorful and thematic rogues."</p><p>"What makes you think he would be interested in Gotham City?" Mr. Reid asked her.</p><p>"One of your reporters came to the library last week," Barbara said. "He wanted to know if the Green Hornet had been sighted in this area recently. He insisted that it would be better for anyone to catch the Green Hornet, whether it was the police or Batman, the minute he appeared, or else Gotham City would suffer under the same problems that he had been reporting on." </p><p>Mr. Reid smiled slightly. "I'll have to have a talk with Mike about pursuing stories independently. He has a fine sense of justice, and a good nose for a story, but sometimes his common sense takes a back seat to his desire to get a scoop. Luckily for me, that probably means you've already done the work that I was going to ask about.  Has there been any mention of the Green Hornet in any of the local Gotham papers?"</p><p>"The Daily Sentinel is still the only paper that is covering the Green Hornet," Barbara replied. "Unless he does something much bigger than shake down thugs in the working-class portions of the city, I don't think any other paper is going to pay him any notice."</p><p>"Thank you, Ms. Gordon," Mr. Reid said. "I may have other questions for you later, but for the moment, I have other research that needs to be done, and for that, I would like access to your newsprint archives."</p><p>"Have you used a microfilm reader before, Mr. Reid?"</p><p>"I have, but I would like to be sure that I am loading and threading the machine correctly. Would you show me?"</p><p>Mr. Reid was attentive and polite while she demonstrated for him the proper way to load, thread, and control the microfilm reader.</p><p>"My offer is still available for you, Ms. Gordon," Mr. Reid said when she had finished. "If you would like to join our research department, we would be glad to have you."</p><p>"I still believe that I would be better suited to public service, Mr. Reid," Barbara replied. "But I appreciate your continued confidence in my abilities."</p><p>Some time afterward, Kato approached her while she was examining part of the collection to see what would need to be weeded out to make room for new materials.</p><p>"Mr. Reid will likely ask you to dinner tonight," he said. "I fear he may be giving off the wrong impression."</p><p>"Is Mr. Reid generally such a flirt?" Barbara asked.</p><p>"With many women," Kato said, apparently relieved that she understood how serious Mr. Reid was about her.</p><p>"It must be stressful for him, to live a double life so constantly," she said. "It makes sense for him to try and spend as much time as he can in the company of enjoyable people."</p><p>Kato, to his credit, didn't react to her suggestion in any way that confirmed it was true or denied it as false. "Being a newspaper editor is a profession full of late nights, cigarettes, drinking, and making sure everything is 'alleged,' " he offered by way of explanation.</p><p>Barbara nodded. "I am sure it is," she said. "Hypothetically speaking, if I were him, I would say if the Green Hornet wishes to continue doing the work he is, he should probably find another name for his chauffeur to call in public. The reporter I talked to had a very detailed description of the Green Hornet and the man in black clothing who accompanied him, and a possible name that he had heard spoken a time or two while he was coming back to his senses from being gassed."</p><p>"Why would you tell someone who might be a criminal about the possible discovery of his identity?" Kato asked. "That seems unwise."</p><p>"If he were a criminal, that would be true," Barbara told him. "But my research for the reporter suggested that for as many breathless articles have been written about him and his alleged criminal empire, he seems to be more interested in bringing criminals to the attention of the police than putting them under his thumb."</p><p>Kato continued to reveal nothing, but simply bowed slightly and made to leave. </p><p>"Kato?" she asked, catching his attention.</p><p>"Yes, Ms. Gordon?"</p><p>"If Mr. Reid wishes to ask me to dinner, he will need to do it himself."</p><p>"Of course, Ms. Gordon." At that, Kato did finally smile and went back to being mostly invisible in the library. </p><p>At the end of her shift at the library, Mr. Reid asked her to dinner, and she accepted, understanding that she was probably nothing more than a fling. </p><p>It would be nice to flirt with Mr. Reid while he was here, but Barbara was fairly certain that once he went back to the Daily Sentinel, his attention toward her would disappear in favor of the women who were closer, and perhaps more informative to his efforts, than she was. That would be unfortunate for him, she thought, selecting an old book for weeding, as she might be one of the few people in his life who understood the nature of trying to balance the life of being a civilian and of being a masked and costumed crime fighter. If he knew as much about her as she did about him, she might have treated his flirtations and requests more seriously. But he seemed to be cut much more in the vein of Bruce Wayne rather than anything more serious. The society pages were always full of women who believed that Mr. Wayne had a more serious intent for them than he actually did, and she had no intention of being another woman in his parade, or in any other man's. And she certainly had no intention of finding out what Daddy might threaten to do, or worse, actually do, if she were serious about someone and he treated her poorly.</p><p>But, if she were honest with herself, she was going to enjoy not having to pay or dinner. And there was always the possibility that things might turn into something more serious down the road, but for now, she intended to enjoy herself.</p>
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